Tank Action at Villers- Brettoneux

[WillieB]

I must have read about 2 dozen reports on this battle ( all wildly differing in details and even outcome)
but something that still eludes me is the name or werkenr. of the 2 other A7V tanks besides Nixe II.

At least one account even speaks of 4 A7Vs but that's probably just a propaganda thing.

We're planning a small participation game later this year and it would be great if anyone could inform me on this!

Thanks very much!

Willie

[Phil Robinson]

I have the Squadron Signal book which gives the group's and their vehicles that took part in the action if that helps at all. It only mentions the vehicle that you do as having taken part in the tank engagement though.

[monk2002uk]

I will check my sources for you when I get home.

Robert

[monk2002uk]

There were three groups formed from three Abteilungen, referred to in English as Assault Tank Detachments (ATD):

Group I - comprising three tanks from ATD 1
Group II - comprising ATD 3 and remainder of ATD 1
Group III - comprising ATD 2

Group I contained A7Vs 526 Alter Fritz, 527 Lotti, and 560. It ended up attacking the town of Villers-Bretonneux, having veered off track in the early morning fog.

Group II had six tanks, one other having broken down. Tank 505 was Baden I; 506 was Mephisto; 507 Cyklop, 501 Gretchen; 541; and 562.

Group III had four tanks: 542 Elfriede; 561 Nixe; 525 Siegfried; and 543 Hagen. This was the group that engaged the British Mk IVs and the Whippets.

Robert

[WillieB]

Thanks very, very much Robert!

[Anna Elizabeth]

You are the Man, Robert. I'll file this info away as well.

[Schogun]

For the A7V record, I will add this info found from various sources. I cannot guarantee its accuracy though.

Chuck

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From Polish armour expert Witold J. Lawrynowicz:

501 "Gretchen" scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
502 Scrapped by Germans in October 1918.
503 Scrapped by Germans in October 1918.
504 "Schnuck" lost at Fremicourt 08/31/1918.
505 “Baden I” scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
506 “Mephisto” lost at Villers-Bretonneux 04/24/1918, recovered by Australians, now in Queensland Museum in Brisbane, Australia.
507 "Cyklop" scraped by the Allies in 1919.
525 "Siegfried" scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
526 Scrapped by Germans in 06/1/1918.
527 "Lotti" lost at Pompelle Fort 06/01/1918.
528 "Hagen" lost at Fremicourt 08/31/1918.
529 "Nixe II" lost at Remis 05/31/1918, recovered by Americans and scraped at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Museum in 1942.
540 "Heiland" scraped by the Allies in 1919.
541 Scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
542 "Elfriede" lost at Villers-Bretonneux 04/24/1918
543 "Hagen", "Adalbert", "Konig Wilhelm" scraped by the Allies in 1919.
560 "Alter Fritz" lost at Iwuy 10/11/1918.
561 "Nixe" scrapped by Germans 04/24/1918.
562 "Herkules" scrapped by Germans after 08/31/1918.
563 "Wotan" scrapped by the Allies in 1919.
564 Scrapped by the Allies in 1919.


From Mad Zeppelin:

501 - in service until armistice
502 - uncertain, may have been no tank at all
503 - in service until armistice
504 - abandoned August 31st, 1918, scrapped in London 1920, gun at IWM
505 - in service until armistice*
506 - abandoned April 24th, 1918, on display in Brisbane/Australia
507 - in service until armistice*
525 - in service until armistice
526 - damaged June 1st, 1918, not used in combat again
527 - hit by artillery June 1st, 1918, scrapped by French in 1920/21
528 - abandoned August 31st, 1918, allegedly last on display in Edinburgh/Scotland
529 - hit by artillery May 31st, 1918, scrapped at APG, Maryland, in 1942
540 - left behind in October 1918, British capture, scrapped in France 1918/19
541 - in service until armistice
542 - toppled April 24th, 1918, captured and tested, scrapped by French in 1919
543 - in service until armistice
560 - blown up October 11th, 1918
561 - blown up April 24/25th, 1918
562 - left behind in October 1918, British capture
563 - in service until armistice
564 - in service until armistice

* = one of these two may have been sent to Berlin for repairs in October 1918 - and became "Imperator" in Kokampf's service.

"in service until armistice" = candidate for either being sabotaged by the leaving Germans or for scrapping ordered by French occupation forces

Using names may be misleading, most tanks carried names only temporarily.

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For all I know, Abt.1 used names for a short period only (mid-April to mid-May 1918). When 527 was lost on June 1st, the former name "Lotti", had already been overpainted - but became visible again while the tank lay east of Reims until 1920/21. The only Abteilung that used names throughout was 2, thus:
504 "Schnuck"
525 "Siegfried"
528 "Hagen"
529 "Nixe II"
542 "Elfriede”
543 "Bulle"
561 "Nixe"
562 "Herkules"
563 "Wotan"

The numbers were chassis numbers. which somehow complicates things because what we can see is the armoured hull, not the chassis. But change of chassis did - as far as we know - not happen frequently. Often, the chassis numbers were also painted on the hull. In most cases on the inside of the doors, but Abt.1 also carried them in large form on the armour plate in early April 1918.

Abt. 1 apparently only carried names for a short period (April 1918 - at Villers-Bretonneux). On 21st March 1918 they did not use names. Abt. 1 used skull and crossbones on the front armour below the gun. On 21st March in provisional form, painted by the crew, later in professional layout painted by BAKP 20.

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The Villers-Bretonneux tank action was in 2 parts:

A7V #561 "Nixe" vs 3 Mk IVs
A7V #525 "Siegfried" vs 7 Whippets (4 Whippets destroyed by the A7V and 7.7cm guns)

The Niergnies/Seranvillers action was carried out by captured Mark IV tanks.

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Tank Commanders – A7V and Beutepanzers

March 21st, 1918:
501 - Hptm Walter Greiff initially, later Leutnant Wolfgang Bartens
505 - Lt Voss
506 - Oberleutnant Skopnik
507 - Lt Bartens, after defect, Bartens to 501
101 - Lt von Richter
102 - Lt Lippold
103 - Lt Krug
104 - Lt Schünemann
105 - Lt Böhme

April 24th, 1918:
501 - Lt Lappe
504 - Lt Müller, Albert
505 - Lt Hennecke
506 - Lt Theunissen
507 - Lt Bürmann
525 - Lt Bitter, Friedrich Wilhelm
526 - OLt Skopnik
527 - Lt Vietze
541 - Lt Block, wounded, replaced by Vizefeldwebel Weiss
542 - Lt Stein, KIA
560 - Lt Volckheim, Ernst
561 - Lt Biltz, Wilhelm
562 - Lt Bartens, Wolfgang

May 31st, 1918
504 - ?
525 - ?
528 - ?
529 - Lt Biltz, Wilhelm
563 - ?

June 1st, 1918
526 - OLt Skopnik
527 - Lt Bergemann
541 - Lt Philipp
560 - Lt Volckheim
562 - Lt Bartens

Marianne - Lt Korb
Moritz - Lt Fuchsbauer
Max - Lt Feuchter
Ännchen - Lt Burkhardt
Hedda - Lt Romkopf
Liesel - Lt Brandt
Trude - Lt Vietze
Lotte -  Lt Riesenberg
Heinz - Lt Köhler

June 9th, 1918
503 - Lt Heiland
505 - Lt Melching
507 - Lt Lappe
541 - Lt Philip
543 - Lt Fritsch
560 - Lt Volckheim, after shell damage taken over by Lt Bergemann
562 - Lt Bartens, after Bartens' fatal wound taken over by Lt Volckheim
564 - Lt Theunissen

July 15th, 1918:

501 - Lt Bergemann
504 - Lt Goldmann
525 - Lt Müller, Albert
540 - Lt Vietze
541 - Vizefeldwebel Lommen
560 - Lt Wagner
563 - Lt Melching

From the Beute-Tanks I've (so far) only Abt.13

Wolf - Lt Fuchsbauer
Bob - Lt Ludwig
Bertha - Lt Korb
Kathi - Lt Werner
Kerlchen - Lt Kürzdörfer

August 30th/31st, 1918
501 - Lt Bergemann, replaced by VizeFw Ludwig
504 - Lt Kunze
525 - Lt Schück
528 - Lt v.Jamrowski
540 - Lt Wagner
541 - VizeFw Lommen
560 - Lt Volckheim
562 - Lt Asholt
563 - Lt Goldmann

[Captain Darling]

Hey WillieB,

The book I have found with the best description of this action is Mephisto by Mark Whitmore, I got mine from the Queensland Museum while checking out the A7V there, the Tankograd A7V book is really good too.

Here is a brief summary of the action of 24/4/1918 in the book it covers several pages in much more detail with a map...the summary supports all the A7V figures in your original post four were in the attack force, only three were engaged but only two were actually involved the tank v tank action it's all how the author looks at the action...

Cheers!

Villers-Bretonneux 24/4/1918

The Germans committed 13 tanks in 3 groups, a 6 man patrol accompanied each tank

Group 1 - 3 A7V tanks from Abteiling 1 were the northern assault group
Group 2 - 6 A7V tanks from Abteilings 1 and 3 (including Mephisto) were the central assault group
Group 4 - 4 A7V tanks from Abteiling 2 were the southern assault group

Summary of tank related events:

3:45am artillery barrage began and A7Vs start to deploy from Wiencourt 4 KMs behind the lines

Group 1 - engaged infantry and artillery successfully then returned the rear

Group 2 - an A7V broke down 30m from the British lines, a second (Mephisto) crippled by a fuel blockage stopped in no mans land and the remaining 4 tanks broke through successfully engaging infantry only they then returned to the rear

Group 3 - Elfriede (542) commanded Lt Stein capsized into a shallow quarry and was abandoned and lost early in the attack
Around 10am Nixie (561) commanded by Lt Blitz engaged 3 Mark IVs from A company, 1st Tank Battalion it disabled 2 females the 3rd British tank a male commanded by Lt Mitchell scored 3 hits on Nixie killing 3 crew forcing the crew to abandoned the tank, the Germans later recovered it
Later around 11:30am Siegfried (525) commanded by Lt Bitter engaged 7 Whippets from X company 3rd Tank Battalion which had scattered the attacking German infantry, Siegfried disabled 4 Whippets assisted by a 77mm gun battery the remaining three retired
The 4th A7V was Alter Fritz (560) commanded by Lt Volckheim and it arrived after the tank action had finished and assisted Siegfried until 2:45pm supporting the attack
The two Still functions A7Vs returned to the Marcelcave sugar factory and then back to Wiencourt.

[Greylegion]

Damned nice work guys! I love detailed information like this.